Kimberly Goetz

Education

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Increasingly, employees of regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies and others who are not trained forensic accountants or experienced investigators find themselves responsible for conducting what amount to financial investigations. An employee may simply be told, 'Here are the program rules and here is a stack of applications. Figure out which ones are eligible and which ones aren't.' An engineer who oversees the cleanup of a toxic waste site might need to track down the former owners of the site to find the polluter. Perhaps the applicable licensing agency receives a complaint that an attorney mishandled a client's money. Alternatively, maybe it's the attorney who needs help finding the assets with which a client's former spouse has absconded.

Training in investigation techniques tends to be very limited, even in some law enforcement agencies. Training on how to find information without incurring significant expense is virtually nonexistent. This book helps fill the void. With practical guidance on how to conduct a financial investigation, Follow the Money will help regulatory employees and others who conduct financial investigations as part of their job to reduce their dependence on trial and error.

With clear sections on:

How to approach an investigation, including the ethical perspective

Understanding what to look for and what you find

What free and low cost internet resources are available to support investigations?

How to assemble and present the results of investigations, and

Detailed appendices on organizing investigations and with the answers to 100 FAQs this remarkable book will enable non-experts to attempt what otherwise might be seemingly impossible tasks.